What does a Code Set Style do in Civil 3D?
I tend to answer that well-built Code Set Styles work for you or a bad Code Set Style drives you completely bonkers. Most Civil 3D users can probably say amen to that. We can all probably attest that the many purposes of Code Set Style in Civil 3D sneaks up on you.
Maybe this image works for you - Think of the Code Set Style as the Layer State Manager for Corridors. The Code Set Style defines the CURRENT Corridor output results. Civil 3D uses named Styles instead of named Layers, but the concept of what's going on in a collection of Styles into a Set is essentially the same as that of named Layer State. Collect a unique look and feel in detail into a Set. Give the Set a name you can remember. We employ both tools to collect in detail way too many properties to remember – either Layer State properties or State of Style properties.
I trust you use Layer States all the time? Way too often I get surprised by the fact that people don’t use Layer States. Powerful and customizable Layer States are built into our Framework for Civil 3D products to allow you to publish existing and proposed conditions and much more in just a click. Frankly, most of our customers don’t need to use the Layer Manager much anymore in Civil 3D. It is way cool to save man-hours in ways that you never expect.
What Does a Code Set Style Do?
We apply a Code Set Style to get at what we need to see, display, or publish right now. In other words, if you believe you’ll set a Code Set Style once and forget it, you missed the whole point. There are reasons that Civil 3D allows us to stumble into the Code Set Style Editor from lots of places in the interface. That easy access can be confusing and dangerous.
One of the things that people seem to trip over is the misconception that Code Set Style only matters if you publish Sections and only if you do civil design with Corridors where the Code Set Style is essential. Nothing could be further from the truth. Survey folks and all plan publishers take heed.
Take a peek at our Deliverables video training course to see what I mean.
If I were to do a detailed walk-through video on Civil 3D Code Set Style, it would look a lot like Mike Racca’s recent video from the FDOT Youtube channel. Don't be put off by FDOT's particulars. Mike's coverage of the essentials and practical issues of Code Set Style is both generic and valuable.
Four Things a Code Set Style Manages
In the past I would probably use the word Controls in that sentence instead. The Manages word better reflects the fact the Civil 3D makes the usage of Code Set Style a Civil 3D User skill and accountability.
Display of Assembly/Subassembly while you Construct and/or Document a Cross Section
You probably want to see certain labels of key geometry like Offsets and the Slope of Top Links so you can make the best Subassembly choices to solve your current design problem.
- We supply a typical an all-inclusive Code Set Style called +NOPLOT with Labels.
This Code Set Style includes references to every stock Civil 3D subassembly so you always get a reasonable and meaningful picture and key Labels and graphics.
Obviously, we do many publishing Code Set Style variants too. - We supply the resource drawings for the stock Civil 3D subassemblies and the PKT enhancements that allow you to instantly visualize those results. These resources allow you to more easily tweak all our Code Set Styles as you see fit.
We always supply example drawings even in our trial Templates Only product with real data and Styles and Sets that work. - If you must use the Subassembly Composer, be sure to use the appropriate stock subassembly codes wherever possible. This can substantially reduce the need for more Code Set Styles while also reducing user confusion. Remember Civil 3D itself employs the code index numbers not the names.
Display and Annotation of all the Assembly parts in Published Section Views
Sample Line Groups and the output Section Views use a Code Set Style to annotate and display the parts of the Assembly in detail.
We don't all have to publish Pages of Sections every day. But when you do, it’s important to have a labeling strategy or you have too much manual tweaking to do. If you’re editing lots of Section Views in Civil 3D, you’re just missing the right Style and Set tools. Time is money. Save some.
- Jump Kit includes sophisticated Expression driven labels with "adjuster" expressions to help you do this easily. In other words, based on the width and complexity of the cross sections our Assembly labels can be adjusted en mass to display more information more effectively.
This Framework for Civil 3D built-in ByDesign methodology saves you lots of time.
Drag fewer Labels. - Publish on demand gets you more informative and useful cross sections without undue USER effort.
- Want a huge assortment of Section View Styles themselves?
Hundreds are included in Jump Kit. A Templates Only includes the common ones. - If you’d rather use the newer Corridor Points Autodesk work around for this nagging problem, we include that support too. There’s even a Corridor Points video here.
Have your Civil 3D your way.
Display of the Assembly in the Section Editor
We are all after better design in less time with less hassle. You should employ a standardized set of Command Settings in your production/working templates to make a consistent and useful Section Editor View.
You even want to have variations of the Command Settings stored somewhere you know about. The Style Import tool can load these on demand. In 2017+ and above you can employ Reference Templates and the Reference Template stack to customize the load those Settings for special tasks.
- Maybe you want a couple of different Code Set Styles for the Section Editor since the cross section editing problems we face differ between a pipeline and a roadway projects for example.
- A roadway Rehab (overlay) project has another whole set of design and publication issues too.
- Framework for Civil 3D products include the Code Sets Styles to handle Section Editor support right out of the box.
Output Display of the Corridor Model in Plan (and maybe even for Rendering)
The current Corridor Code Set property is different from the Style of the Corridor itself.
Remember that Corridor Style is about visualizing the Corridor Design Control and the Regions of the corridor model during design and not the Corridor output. Yes. That is confusing and not what you expect to be true.
- A "Plan" screening or hiding Code Set Style can hide surfaces and do cool stuff like create a screened or hatched arranged output of pavement, concrete, and other areas for Plan and Profile sheets.
- All Framework for Civil 3D products support variations of plot/print screening because you need it to look professional without hours of messing around.
Publish on Demand Flexibility
Typical State Department of Transportation Alignment and Profile stationing Styles in a large array of configurations are also included in Jump Kit. Each and every one has been built and QA'd to allow you to publish on demand to almost any standard you can find or conceive of.
The Framework’s annotative Alignment Label Styles also help annotate more of your Plan and Profile output with less effort. These flexible and adaptive Jump Kit styles get you View aware labels and block graphics for use on Alignment, Profile, and Parcel Features.
Stuff like Centerline Marks, ROW, flow, and classic NCS utility line annotation become almost a no brainer.
Ok. If you must, go AutoCAD old school. We supply hundreds of standardized and documented classic, Autodesk civil and National CAD Standard 4.0/5.0+ linetypes too. DGN output support is even in there.
Do your Civil 3D Templates and Styles do all that?